Poker

History
Types of Poker
Rules
Strategies

History

There are many variations on where exactly Poker started. With so many varying stories, there seems to be no clear or direct early ancestor of the game. Most likely, Poker evolved to its present day form from elements of many different games. Many think that because of its basic principal, it has been around a very long time.

In 1834, Jonathan H. Green makes one of the earliest written references to Poker. In his writing, Green mentions rules to what he called the 'cheating game', which was then being played on Mississippi riverboats. He soon realized that his was the first such reference to the game, and since it was not referred to in the current American Hoyle, he decided to name the game Poker.

The game he explained was played with 20 cards, using only the aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens. 2 to 4 people could play, and each was dealt 5 cards. By the time Green wrote about it, poker had become the number one cheating game on the Mississippi boats, surpassing the ever popular game of 3-Card Monte. Most of the people that enjoyed playing 3-Card Monte thought the 20-card poker seemed to be a more legitimate game, and they played it more and more.

The origin of the word Poker is also a topic of conflict. Most dictionaries and game historians say that it comes from an 18th century French game, poque. However, there are other references to pochspiel, which is a German game. In pochspiel, there is an element of bluffing, where players would indicate whether they wanted to pass or open by knocking on the table and saying, 'Ich Poche'! Some say it may even have derived come the Hindu word, pukka.

Another though is that the term 'poke' probably came from 'hocus-pocus', a phrase widely used by magicians.

The game of Poker later evolved to include 32 cards, and eventually the modern day deck of 52 cards.

The game of Poker has changed throughout the years. It has literally gone from a backroom game to the present day casinos around the world. The history of Poker is synonymous with famous places and famous people. For example, during the Wild West period of United States history, a saloon with a Poker table could be found in just about every town from coast to coast.

Presently, Poker is a carefully regulated game governed by many laws, and saloons have given way to casinos and card rooms, but Poker is played more than any other card game in the world. It has grown into a sporting event, with competitions and tournaments all around the world. Tournaments take place almost every week of the year somewhere in the world.

Today, Poker is thriving and it will continue to thrive. There will always be a game to play and money to be won.

Types of Poker

There are 2 different types of Poker games: Draw Poker and Stud Poker.

Both of these types of games can involve either 5 cards or 7 and can be played in 1 of 2 ways: high or high/low. When a Poker game is played high, the highest hand wins the pot. When a poker game is played high/low, the pot is split between the person with the highest hand and the person with the lowest hand.

Rules

Most Poker games are played with a standard 52-card deck. The cards are ranked according to the value of the number on the card or the value of the face. The ranking, from highest to lowest, goes as such: ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

Aside from being the highest card in the deck, an ace can also be used as the lowest to complete a low straight; A, 2, 3, 4, 5. In some games, one or more cards are declared wild , meaning that they can be used in place of any other card in the deck. As well as numbers and faces there are 4 different types of suits which are used to determine the value of a Poker hand.

These are: spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts. Beyond determining that 5 cards of the same suit comprise a flush, suits have no further ranking. Poker hands are valued based on their 5 card ranking.

The ranking of Poker hands, starting from the highest, goes as follows:

Five of a Kind is only possible when using 'Wild Cards' and it is the highest possible hand. In case of more hands of Five-of-a-kind, the higher rank wins; e.g. 5 Aces beat 5 Kings, which beat 5 Queens and so on.

Straight Flush is the best combination a player can get without using 'Wild Cards'. It consists of 5 cards in sequence of the same suit. An Ace high Straight-flush is called a Royal Straight Flush or Royal Flush and it is the highest hand.

Four of a Kind is a hand that contains 4 cards of the same rank. The highest rank of Four-of-a-kind hand beats other Four-of-a-kind hands. If there are many 'Wild Cards', as used in some game varieties, there could be 2 Four-of-a-kind hands with the same rank. In this case, the hand with the higher ranking fifth card wins. This rule applies to hands that tie, such as a pair or 2 pairs.

Full House is a hand consisting of a Three-of-a-kind and a pair. Again, where 'Wild Cards' are used, ties are compared firstly by the Three-of-a-kind ranking, then by the pair.

Flush is a hand consisting of cards of the same suit in any order.

Straight is a hand consisting of 5 cards in sequence, such as 5-6-7-8-9. An Ace may be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (A-2-3-4-5).

Three of a Kind is a hand similar to a Four-of-a-kind hand with an exception; if the remaining 2 cards represent a pair it becomes a Full House.

Two Pair is a hand that contains 2 pairs only.

Pair is a hand that contains one pair only.

High Card is a hand that is none of the above and it is a weak hand. If no player has a pair or a better combination, the hand containing the highest ranking card wins. If multiple players tie with the highest card, then the second highest card decides followed by the third and so on.

If 2 hands are tied in rank, the following rules apply:

The objective of Poker is to win the pot, which is the money that accumulates as players who remain in the game keep raising their bets. Unless a game of high/low Poker is being played, the player with the highest hand at the end of the game wins the pot. There are 2 ways to win, by holding the highest hand in the game, or by making your opponents think you've got the highest hand-in which everyone else folds leaving you to win the pot.

Poker games start with a shuffle and cut of the deck and then the players ante before the dealer deals a card. To ante, each player is required to put a small amount of money, usually a percentage of the minimum bet, into the pot. Games are played with colored Poker chips that correspond to different denominations of money. The dealer is responsible for dealing each round.

Strict rules govern the betting order, which also varies with the type of Poker game played. The betting order is important because the player who bets first has the disadvantage of providing other players with information about their hand before receiving any information about any other player's hand. The player who bets last has the advantage of seeing how everyone else bets before deciding whether or not to play their hand. In most games the dealer deals clockwise, starting with the player to the dealer's left.

There are different numbers of betting rounds in different Poker games. During each round, betting moves clockwise around the table and players can either Check, Call, Raise, or Bold.

When 2 or more players remain in the game at the end of the last round of betting, each of the players show their cards in a showdown. The hand with the highest Poker value wins the pot. The house makes a profit by taking the rake, a percentage of each pot. The rake percentage varies from 2 to 10%, but in some cases there is a maximum dollar amount or a flat fee.

All the basic concepts of Poker have now been covered. Each variant of Poker alters these basics in different ways to create a complete game. The hand rankings are always the same but other Poker games generally have several rounds of betting. To win a round in these games, either everyone must drop out, or you must stay in the game until the last betting round. There will only be a showdown at the end of the last round.

Between each betting round, additional cards are dealt. Over time, therefore, you get more information about the shape your final hand will take.

For example, in Hold'em Poker, you start off with only 2 cards. 2 cards do not make a Poker hand but they do give you a clue as to the kind of Poker hand you can expect. In the next round, 3 cards are dealt. In the next 2 rounds, 1 card is dealt. At the end, you make the best possible 5 card hand from the 7 cards you now have available.

The cards in a Poker game can be dealt in 3 ways:

If you are playing at a physical table rather than online, it is usual to 'burn' a card before dealing. That is to say, the top card from the deck is placed in the discards rather than being dealt to a player. This has no influence on the game; it is simply to make cheating more difficult.

Strategies

When it comes to Poker strategies there are some things you should consider right from the beginning. You might even consider them the 'Golden rules' of Poker. They pretty much apply to any Poker game you are likely to play. These golden rules are:

These are the chances for you to get one of the following in your original hand.

With these things in mind there are already a couple of things you can immediately conclude.

The chances of completing a

You always have to remember these odds when making your betting decision. Let's say you have a 4 card flush. The first question that pops into your mind should be: What are my chances of completing on the deal? In this case they are 1 out of 4.5. If the pot is not 4.5 times the money you would have to bet, you should fold. Anything else would just be blindly risking your money to beat the odds.

In conclusion there is of course a lot more to poker than the above. Bluffing, intimidation, body language and all the rest of it makes poker what it is. If you are thinking of becoming a serious Poker player you should buy yourself a good book.